


Codename: Messenger

by Crowsister



Series: Rough Draft Babbling of Daughters & Decisions [6]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, KotFE spoilers, Romance Letter Reactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 07:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5156159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowsister/pseuds/Crowsister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Outlanders have been freed and have an opportunity to take a breath. They manage to find pieces of the past that leave them a bit shaken.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Codename: Messenger

The two of them sat there, in the belly of the Gravestone. Both worse for wear, the cure for their carbonite poisoning running through their bodies and keeping them from falling over...for the moment. They didn't know how long that would last. Maybe as long as the mercy Valkorion gave them.

Kaiadri Ardonel, Barsen'thor of the Jedi Order, sat cross-legged on a table. She ran a hand through her short orange hair, glad the dye hadn't faded in the freezing. She didn't feel like running around without less of her past locking the ground beneath her feet with this whole...Emperor business. The dye reminded her of Jonas, the prank he did in the first week of SIS Academy and blamed it on Theron (the roommate who wasn't enough fun for the little troublemaker). She was worried about everyone she hadn't seen for five years -- Theron, Brishkah, Holiday, Nadia, Zenith, Jonas, all her crew (even Cedrax as much as they argued over to use a Vao technique or a Rand Saber method for some slicing problems)...but Kaiadri knew that she couldn't even begin to match the worry of her counterpart on the other side of the room.

The former Emperor's Wrath, now Empire's Wrath, Darth Praxidice Quinn was pacing the room and starting to leave tiny indents with her steps. Kai noticed she looked less put together than she had during the Rishi and Ziost events combined, but then Praxidice was missing her husband. Kaiadri couldn't begin to understand what that felt like and she didn't envy her. She knew Prax used her emotions with the Force, channelling her pure passion into strength. That must've been hard to do, running out of the facility with no idea of where her husband, her main source of passion, might have been. Kai knew the two were close. The two would exchange looks, quiet words, and they'd never leave each other for more than a room's distance. Prax lost her whole crew too, which must've hurt quite a lot.

Koth and Lana were out running errands -- Lana securing food and water, Koth securing possible parts to repair the Gravestone. Prax and Kai both were too exhausted to be much help after the narrow escape from Vaylin and her forces, the crash, and the search through the swamp for shelter. And thus, they were left -- Kai actually resting while Prax paced.

"Prax."

"Mm."

"Prax."

"Mmmmm."

"Prax, if you don't say something and talk to me beyond humming at me, I'm going to start singing. And we both know you don't like my taste in lyrics," Kai said, sitting in a meditative pose on her table. She started a quiet countdown, starting with three fingers and ending with a fist when Prax finally stopped pacing for a moment when she wasn't facing Kaiadri.

Prax rose a hand to her head, sweeping a stray hair aside as she said, "Well of course, you like military bouncy workout music, that is quite literally the worst. I mean, come on, most of those songs are made with the same four to five chords and without a singular true rhyme scheme. Or **worse** , a child's couplet."

"That wasn't as detailed and scathing as usual. You're worried."

"Oh, worry is an **understatement**. I'm concerned, terrified, furious -- look at our situation. Darth Marr -- my leader, my role model, the closest figure I've ever had to a father? Dead."

Kai winced hearing that, looking down at her lap. "I...I didn't realize the two of you were close. Sorry."

Praxidice continued on as if Kaiadri hadn't spoken. "Both of us are connected by a shard of Valkorian/Vitiate, who's using us for some kind of game that neither of us know the full consequences of."

"It's one that we're not going to like, let's be real. One of the things we can agree on is that man is a bit of a jerk-ass."

"Both of our crews are completely missing because WE have been frozen in carbonite for five bloody years while that brat Arcann imposes some disturbed image onto the known galaxies."

"We'll find them and your captain, Prax. And we'll kick Arcann's snakey rear."

"Oh the first thing I'm doing when I can is to find them and him. Damnation, you interrupted me, what was my last point? Oh! Yes, and to top it all off, our current allies consist of Lana Beniko -- a moderately powerful Sith and an intelligent strategist, but has a subtle lack of confidence that makes her a bit weak."

"Hey, Lana's nice. Leave the Sith creampuff alone."

"I'm telling her you called her that again, that'll give her some more backbone. We have Koth Vortena -- a defected Zakuul military officer with creativity and backbone for miles, yet not a single mote of foresight if what happened with the pickup was any sign. Three minutes my bloody..."

She paused, taking a deep breath in. Kai guessed she was thinking that if Koth was her captain, that pick up would have gone smoother. "Koth ran into maintenance issues, remember? Having our ride explode is kind of not his fault."

Praxidice continued after a moment, ignoring what she said. "And then we have HK-55, an assassin droid turned bodyguard who is cheerfully violent and offers the best conversation out of anyone here and yet has the one weakness of being a droid and thus having its memory wiped now and again and strangling its true potential."

"Hey, I like to think I've got some chatty class."

"You're the Jedi who somehow refuses to be a Jedi and yet somehow still works to be a Jedi in a paradoxical cycle that makes most of the Sith look sane. In **every** definition and context of sane, mind you. I still can't believe they gave you of all people an apprentice."

"Padawan. Nadia was turning out okay before... _y'know_."

"Right forgive me for not using outdated terminology, a _padawan_. And I'm the Darth who let all this happen when I _should have known better_."

The two fell quiet. Praxidice slowly descended to her knees, her head bent over as she looked over her lightsabers for repairs. Kaiadri got up from her seat, sitting behind her. She let the Sith Lord look over her lightsaber as well, knowing that Prax knew lightsabers like she knew her way around a data spike. It'd give her something to put her mind on while Kaiadri gave her some space, getting up.

Kai refrained from humming, knowing her music choice wasn't the best for Prax right now. It was more productive to appease her for now than it was to annoy her on purpose. Save that for later. Kaiadri looked about the room and found something familiar. It was a communication hub like what they used in the known worlds, just older. Maybe she could repair it.

She sat down, using some scrap metal to fix the broken stand and cementing it on with the Force. She opened up the main compartment, using the Force as a replacement for her usual tiny tools. She repaired it, focusing on it. Time passed and Kaiadri finally got it hooked up so it should be functional given a power source. Kaiadri looked at the battery she had left exposed.

"Hey Prax?"

"Mmmmm?"

"I need two things from you. Your datapad you use for e-mails and some lightning." Prax looked over, tilting her head like a cat. She picked up the lightsabers, bringing them over and setting them on the table besides the mail terminal.

She perched on the table nearby. "You got the broken thing working?"

"I dunno. Zap where I tell you to zap and we'll see if I can at least get us access to our inboxes. No sending anything, don't want us being tracked, but receiving should be harmless. Maybe your captain left you some cookie crumbs about where to look for him. I dunno about you, but I'd like a handy dandy medic right now." Kaiadri thought it best to not let Praxidice know she pitied her for her loss.

The look Praxidice that molded onto her face gave Kai the impression that she thought Kaiadri pitied her. She drawled, "...and he's the best I know of. Show me the target."

Kaiadri pointed out the exposed battery pack for Praxidice, holding up a wire. Prax took the wire, closing her eyes. "Remember, don't push yourself too hard. You get close to your limit, shut off."

"Yes, yes, I'm aware. The Empire needs me alive."

"Your _captain_ needs you alive."

That was all the motivation Prax needed to zap the wire. The screen slowly and shakily lit as Kaiadri hastened to copy any new messages onto Prax's datapad. There was only one. "Cut off, Prax. I got your mail."

"Check yours. I have enough energy to keep going and it'd be best if we had more allies. Look for your own cookie crumbs."

Kai took her datapad, connecting it and adding her three new messages to it. "Done. Cut off." Prax removed her hand and the lightning, taking her datapad and moving to the other side of the room to read her mail.

Opening the first message, Kaiadri felt her eyes mist up. Theron Shan, that...that _kriffing_ jerk-ass, left her mail.

_"Subject: For when you wake up. I've written this message twice now. Okay, more than twice."_

That _kriffing_ perfectionist...hasn't changed a bit. It was comforting. At least she knew something hadn't changed in five years and she had guessed (hoped) it to be Theron kriffing Shan.

_"Kinda weird writing something that may never be read. Lana says you're locked in carbonite, but alive. (Yeah, we're in touch. Long story.)"_

Kai knew it wasn't a long story. Those two were tied somehow, maybe in the Force, maybe because they got along well together.

_"I like to think you're having one crazy dream. And maybe I'm in it. But I don't want to presume. We never declared what this--you and me--is... was... Have I mentioned I'm bad at relationships? Another reason I'm a workaholic."_

"You're just as bad as I am," she whispered. "If only they taught that at the Academy. We'd both be amazing at it." She wiped a tear from her eye, trying not to reread the sentence about the dream over and over again.

_"I'm rambling. The point I'm trying to make is--whatever's between us, I want you to know that I care about you. A lot."_

Kaiadri decided she was going to frame this. Or hang onto the e-mail. One of the two.

_"The whole galaxy's lost its mind. The thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that you're out there, and we're putting together a plan to rescue you. I might not be there--we've all got our parts to play--but I haven't forgotten about you or our time together. I never will."_

"I'm kicking his **kriffing** ass," Kaiadri whispered. She wiped her eyes, wiping the makeup right off her face so she just wouldn't have to deal with it being messed up. Kai looked over to Prax's corner and she could see the woman near glowing red.

"Prax?" Kai called. "Prax, what's wrong?"

"Mmmmmmmm."

"...I'm coming over. Two mmm's for that's okay, one for stay the hell away from me."

"Mmmmmm. Mmmmm."

Kai got up, walking over and sitting down next to Prax. Prax was curling up into a ball, looking so small. Kai couldn't see her eyes, but Kai was guessing from the shoulder movement that she was either crying or laughing. She saw the datapad laying at Prax's feet. "...is it okay if I read it? Same code as before."

Prax shifted in her seat a moment before responding. "Mmmm...mmm."

Kai picked up the data pad, focusing instead on helping her Sith...associate than dealing with her own emotional troubles. Prax had the tendency to get...explodey when she was emotional.

_"Subject: I remain your loyal servant. My lord, it's likely I'm prattling to no one. Still, I had to send something. You're not one for minced words, so I'll be blunt: The Empire needs you. More than that--I need you."_

"Well, your captain sure knows how to open a letter. Damn," Kai muttered, rubbing Prax's back.

_"Discord reigns in Dromund Kaas. Without your leadership, the crew disbanded, and I have received little assistance from the Dark Council or Imperial military. No one will grant me an audience, much less answer my inquiries."_

Great. That was going to do so much good for Prax's guilt about her somehow being the cause of this situation. Kai sighed. Not.

_"I should have come with you aboard Darth Marr's ship--stood in my rightful place by your side. I know I've made mistakes, but I thought I had a lifetime to make up for my betrayal. Now I'm faced with the possibility of never seeing you again... and it makes me ill. I cannot accept it."_

Well, that was a kick in the gut. Kai winced in sympathy.

_"The shame of my past actions and my love for you will fuel me for eternity. No matter what anyone says--I know you're alive, and I will find you. Even if it kills me."_

"I-it'll k-kill him," Prax croaked from her shell. "I-I always k-kept him s-safe and m-made s-sure nothing hit him..."

"...ssssh, he'll be okay. He's a smart cookie, ain't he? A bit awkward, but a smart cookie. He's the one who thought to check Theron over for internal bleeding, remember? And he actually made the **jerk-ass** _listen_ , stars of all stars. If he can do that, he can meet you halfway." Kai looked over the letter, thinking to what Theron told her. Lana hadn't contacted Prax's captain that she was alive. Kai knew Lana had connections -- why hadn't Lana used them to find the most important man alive to half of her Outlander plan?

Kai realized that Prax was still venting when she heard her say, "A-and he-he's e-easy to bl-blackmail, wh-what if h-he's turned into a-a-a slave? I-I w-was a sl-slave and I d-don't want th-that l-life on a-anyone."

"Then you'll just have to rescue him, won't you? Give him some credit, Prax. He believes, in this letter, so full heartedly and fiercely that you're alive. Return him the favor. I thought that's what this love stuff entails, tracking down the other when they go missing? You're the married one, I just have-"

"Y-you have a seed." Kai shut up, raising an eyebrow at Prax's words. Prax lifted her head from her knees, giving as much of a teasing smile as she could while on the tailend of a crying session. "Y-you have a s-seed th-that hasn't bloomed yet. More useful as a blunt instrument, that seed."

"Oh haha, you're absolutely hysterical," Kai replied, rolling her eyes with a soft smile. "C'mon. We need to actually do some resting. You first, little Miss Stomper."

"Mmmmmm."

"It'll be fine. Trust me -- when have I ever led you astray?"

"Mmmmm...Battle of Rishi?"

"Okay, you gotta admit that was classy."

"Mmmmm... _no_."

"Oh, go to sleep, you spoilsport."


End file.
